Tag Archives: album

I didn’t pay to download Cloud Control‘s album, Bliss Release. I received a newsletter from The Bootleg Theater that the band from Australia would be playing there in August, which reminded me I wanted to check them out.

I went to Cloud Control’s website and was pleased to see they have full streams of their songs available so we can listen to them. I listened for about as long as I could stand to be indoors, on the computer, during a beautiful summer day. Then, I reached out to a friend of mine who also writes about music to ask if he had heard of Cloud Control and find out whether he had any of their music.

Within an hour, the album awaited me in the cloud. I imported it into my iTunes, transferred it to my iPod, and took a walk down to the beach. It felt good to be discovering music again and Cloud Control’s upbeat vibe reinforced that feeling.

I was really enjoying the album, so I Tweeted about it to my 32,000+ followers, who share my passion for music.

I also emailed, called, and texted some other friends I thought would appreciate Cloud Control. Then, I sent the band a Tweet, letting them know their album was contributing to the enjoyment of my day.

That began a conversation with the band. Which alerted me that they have at least one person on their team who is adept at building relationships.

That led to a Direct Message from Jeremy, who plays bass and sings in the band. We transitioned from Direct Message to email and now I’m hooked. I like the music, I care about the band personally, I’m going to see their shows, and I will purchase whatever merchandise they have available on the road – vinyl, a hoodie… something that will put more money in the band’s pocket than an album download.

Jeremy took the time to see who I am, what I write about, what part of the world I’m in, before he responded to me. “You’re LA, yeah?” he confirmed, as he invited me to the band’s LA shows. That’s more than 97% of publicists who reach out to me, on behalf of bands that are paying them, do.

He then went on to talk about the evolution of Cloud Control’s music from their previous album to their forthcoming one. “It’ll be interesting to hear your take on it,” he wrote. Well, I haven’t heard it yet, but I’m predisposed to like it simply based on the current experience I’m having with this band and their music.

Jeremy gave me contact info for the label, so that I can request an advance copy of the new album. Dear VOTIV: you’re lucky – you’ve got a smart band that’s really working for it and doesn’t take for granted that anyone else is going to do it for them.

If they’d like the $7.99 for the album I didn’t pay for, I’ll give it to them. I’ll buy a copy and gift it to a friend. Now that they’ve engaged me, artistically, personally, and professionally, I’ll spend money on Cloud Control, no problem. During the course of any given band’s career, I have easily spent upwards of $1,000 on tickets, merchandise, and music. I’ll also make sure everyone I know knows about the band.

It doesn’t happen often, but when I do tap into the cloud for new music, it’s to achieve one of two objectives: to truly listen to – and hopefully discover – new music I enjoy; or to get an album I’d purchase anyway, 8-10 weeks prior to its scheduled release. In the case of music discovery, if I like the music, if I connect with the band, I’ll spend a significant amount of money supporting them, throughout their career.

In the case of early access to music, I’d pay for early access to new music. Which, actually would be real-time access. I’d pay to download a song or an album when it’s complete, but that’s not how it typically works. Instead, an album is completed and sits on desks, shelves, hard drives, and inboxes, while all the teams coordinate and execute some semblance of a “launch plan”.

This year, among others, I had the new albums from The National, Sigur Ros, and Atoms For Peace, well in advance of their advance release. I listened to them in the car, during my morning runs, while working, and falling asleep. I spent a lot of time with the albums and recommended people purchase them when they were released. I’ve since bought tickets to see each of those bands two or more times during their tours this year.

Why should we have to wait for music while the label gets their marketing plan together? Marketing is nothing without engagement. You should have been talking to us all along. That’s what Cloud Control is doing. They’re doing whatever it takes, and as much as they’re able.

If you’re putting out quality music, something people can truly connect with, file sharing could be your greatest asset. Your “marketing team” is then comprised of your fans and they know how to promote your music and your shows better than anyone.

If, on the other hand, you’re afraid once people hear the music, they wouldn’t find it worth $7.99 or $9.99, then you have a bigger problem – you don’t have a product nor experience you can stand behind. That is what you should be worried about.

Cloud Control: I wish you all the best. I’ve been listening to the album a lot (my neighbors can attest to that) and enjoying it. Thank you for making your art and yourselves accessible. I can’t wait to see you play in August and look forward to the new album. If there’s anything else I can do, let me know.

I just stumbled across this video of Adele, Pete Townshend, and Rachel Fuller from an episode of In The Attic, recorded in 2007. The In The Attic webcasts took place in an Airstream trailer and were broadcast live before The Who‘s concerts throughout their 2006/2007 European tour.

The 31-minute video includes interview as well as performance footage of Adele. This episode was recorded early on in Adele’s career, while she was still working on her debut album, 19. Throughout the show, Pete Townshend also shares some interesting stories about adventures and encounters he’s had on the road. Among the topics Adele discusses: Jack White and his. . . just grab your favorite beverage and watch the video:

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Your autographed Rise Against CD will be shipped to you directly from Universal Music

About Rise Against:

Rise Against: End Game

If you read the band’s bio, you will find that Tim McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes and guitarist Zach Blair infuse much care into the themes and messages in their music.

“It’s about a dangerous time in civilization, the end of life,” says vocalist/guitarist Tim McIlrath about Endgame, the band’s sixt full-length studio album. “What if the life that we’re living right now is this unsustainable bubble that cannot go on and perhaps does not deserve to go on? What if the world we created is a place that is so unnatural and ugly that it is a world that needs to come to an end, so that we could have a world that is better for everybody? It sounds very utopian, but it’s not about a perfect place, but maybe some of these things we’re doing, they need to come to an end.”

Rise Against are currently on tour in the UK, heading back to the US in early December. The band has also scheduled some stops at local record stores so they can meet more fans:

If you’re a “regular” here at Rock Is A Girl’s Best Friend, or if you follow me on Twitter, then you know I prefer to do things unconventionally. Terra Naomi‘s new album, To Know I’m OK, came about unconventionally as well.

When I met Terra more than a year ago, she had a very clear vision of how she wanted this album to sound, even before all the songs were written. She knew she wanted John Alagia (Rachel Yamagata, Brett Dennen, Ben Folds Five, David Gray, Liz Phair, Jason Mraz) to produce the album. She was free from a major-label deal so she could do things differently, not beholden to anyone but herself. At the same time, she was also keenly aware that she no longer had the major-label resources to record and release her second album, and if she forgot about that for a moment, somebody was there telling her it couldn’t be done.

Photo by Ben Watts

Determined to make her vision a reality, Terra ignored the naysayers and set forth on a path to record and release To Know I’m OK, without compromise. Terra raised the recording budget via a direct to fan engagement campaign with PledgeMusic and then approached John Alagia to produce the album. Upon hearing the music and Terra’s plans for releasing the album, Alagia agreed. The result? “This is the album I’ve always wanted to make,” Terra says.

Terra is also going about releasing the album independently, partnering with technology companies and passionate audience communities. As she did with PledgeMusic, Terra continues to go directly to fans, reaching them in unique ways, and including them in the process. Terra partnered with Hipstamatic, engaging their passionate community and incorporating user-submitted Hipstamatic photos as the centerpiece of her video for “You For Me”. She’s working with Klout, providing unique offerings to their influencers, as well as partnering with music and lifestyle bloggers.

Photo by Ben Watts

To Know I’m OK will be available tomorrow, Tuesday June 21st, and I wanted to do something special in honor of its release. I considered interviewing Terra about the songs and the recording process. I thought it might be fun to drink with Terra. Actually, I knew that was fun, having done it previously. Other ideas that crossed my mind were: going behind the scenes with Terra and producer John Alagia during the recording process, posting random outtakes from the studio, sharing footage nobody knew I was recording, and posting full streams of some of the songs on the album. I even considered showing the recording process through the eyes of Terra’s dog, Elliott Osito. I’m of the belief that we can have it all, so below, you will find everything mentioned above.

I hope you enjoy this track-by-track video exploration of Terra Naomi: To Know I’m OK.

It’s time for a listening party

1. You For Me
Michael Chaves, Sean Hurley, Brad Conrad, John Alagia, Victor Indrizzo lend a hand to Terra Naomi during the recording of “You For Me”

Terra’s dog, Elliott, lends his tail during the making of “You For Me”

Listen to “You For Me” (Full Stream)

2. If I Could Stay
Terra performs “If I Could Stay” at a private house party

I remember the first meeting I had at one of the major labels, when I initially started working in music. We gathered to meet about one of their “priority artists,” but they had just signed another “priority artist,” so they were no longer focused on who we were there to originally discuss. Furthermore, the first 7 minutes of the meeting was spent listening to the record label executives talk about how much none of them wanted to go to one of their artist showcases later that night. I remember walking out of that meeting, more than a decade ago, thinking (and knowing me, probably saying out loud), “musicians are fucked if the people in charge of the music business don’t even like music.”

Welcome to 2011. Musicians aren’t “fucked” as it turns out. Musicians have more opportunity than ever before to get their music heard, reach more people, and do things differently and more creatively. It’s up to us, the fans, to seek out the music we love and to take time with Artists we enjoy.

Terra Naomi at Malibu Wines

I recently spent an afternoon with Terra Naomi, drinking wine at Malibu Wines and talking about her forthcoming album, To Know I’m OK. Terra, who is no longer on a major label, has spent the past year creatively working to release her latest album, To Know I’m OK, independently.

She launched a campaign at PledgeMusic, bringing the fans who contributed to making the album behind the scenes, throughout the process. She ignored everyone who said getting a top producer like John Alagia would not be possible, asked John Alagia to produce To Know I’m Ok, and he agreed. She partnered with the creators of Hipstamatic (Apple’s “App of The Year”), and will be using photos submitted by the Hipstamatic community in the upcoming music video for her song, “You For Me.” She’s working with TuneCore, YouTube, Klout, music and lifestyle bloggers, and other fun partners, on the release of this album.

On Monday, June 20, I will post an exclusive track-by-track video exploration of Terra’s new album, To Know I’m OK, so that you can get to know Terra and her music before the album comes out on June 21st. In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to Terra Naomi and one of my favorite songs from To Know I’m OK, “Take Time”. Enjoy!

Terra Naomi talks to Rock Is A Girl’s Best Friend about “Take Time”:

FREE DOWNLOAD of “Take Time” (Live at Yoshi’s):

Live performance of “Take Time” at LA Music Blog (thank you LA Music Blog!):

Studio version of “Take Time” (full stream):

What really happens when you do an interview at a winery:

Track by track video exploration of To Know I’m OK to be posted on Rock Is A Girl’s Best Friend Monday, June 20th. For more info about Terra Naomi: